Living well with arthritis – American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, LIVING WELL Magazine

Living Well with Arthritis

Treatments advancing for surgical and nonsurgical approaches

Courtesy American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Northshore LIVING WELL Magazine

Today, more than 40 million Americans are living with arthritis

People who have arthritis describe the symptoms as painful, discouraging and debilitating. These symptoms disrupt the flow and balance of your life and make an active life difficult.

In most cases, persons with arthritis can continue to perform normal activities of daily living. Exercise programs, anti-inflammatory drugs, and weight reduction for obese persons are common measures to reduce pain, stiffness, and improve function. Your doctor or surgeon’s goal is to ensure you are living well and with minimum pain so that you can enjoy life.

What are my nonsurgical options for living with arthritis?

“I can’t sleep – my hip really hurts at night. But when I am more active during the day, it does help alleviate some of the pain I feel,” says Luann L., a busy event planner in Northern Illinois.

Like Luann, many Americans develop their own coping mechanisms for the pain associated with arthritis.

With your doctor, you may determine that bracing, splinting, using shoe inserts, performing low impact exercise, losing weight or taking over-the-counter medications can alleviate your symptoms. If that is not the case, your doctor may recommend a combination of the above, or may prescribe some prescription medications or in-office injections.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is defined as an “inflammation of a joint” and it is a major cause of lost work time and serious disability for many people. In 2004, the estimated annual cost for medical care to treat all forms of arthritis and joint pain was $281.5 billion.

There are two major categories of arthritis.

• The first type is caused by wear and tear on the cartilage (osteoarthritis) through the natural aging process, through constant use, or through trauma (post-traumatic arthritis).
• The second type (rheumatoid) is caused by one of a number of inflammatory processes. Rheumatoid arthritis may affect both large and small joints in the body and also the spine. Inactivity may make the symptoms worse.

How can I treat it?

There are lifestyle changes, medications and physical therapies that may treat your arthritis.

Medications

Over-the-counter medication, called anti-inflammatory drugs, include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen may reduce swelling. Acetaminophen can be effective in controlling pain. Prescription medications also are available. Or, your orthopaedic surgeon or physician may suggest cortisone, PRP or hyaluronic acid injections.

Exercise and Therapy

Canes, crutches, walkers, or splints may help relieve the stress and strain on arthritic joints.

Learning methods of performing daily activities that are the less stressful to painful joints also may be helpful, as is low impact, regular exercise such as swimming, walking or cycling.

Physical therapy may be used to decrease stiffness and to strengthen the weakened muscles around the joint.

Research

At present, most types of arthritis cannot be cured. Researchers continue to make progress in finding the underlying causes for the major types of arthritis and developing new treatment options.

What if I need surgery?

When other methods of treatment have failed to relieve pain and other symptoms, a patient and his or her physician will consider surgery, taking into account the type of arthritis, its severity, and the patient’s physical condition.

There are a number of surgical procedures. These include: removing the diseased or damaged joint lining; realignment of the joints; fusing the ends of the bones in the joint together to prevent joint motion and relieve joint pain; and replacing the entire joint (total joint replacement.)

For more information on surgical or nonsurgical treatments of arthritis, visit www.orthoinfo.org.